Why this book:  A couple of good friends said they had read it and really liked it.  Since I have always eanjoyed and learned from books about people struggling to survive in unforgiving environments, I figured I would enjoy this one – it certainly fits that genre!

My Impressions:  I liked the book, though I would not recommend it as “literature.”  It is written by an engineer,  and problem solvers with an engineer’s mind set will enjoy it most. It is not for those looking for emotional content or reading about someone’s inner life and development.

Our protagonist is  Mark Whatney, assigned as botanist and mechanical engineer to NASA’s Ares 3 mission to Mars.  Whatney is left on Mars after disappearing and being presumed dead, as a sudden and very violent storm forced the crew to leave immediately, or they would all die.  Obviously, Whatney regains consciousness,  and realizes that his crewmates had been forced to leave him for dead. And realizing that he is now alone and on his own, the problem solving begins.

The expedition had left an extensive amount of equipment at their station, to include a habitat and equipment to support the crew of six in what was planned to be a stay of a month or so for exploration and experimentation.  Whatney was able to live in the habitat, evaluate his situation and options, and figure out how he might be able to survive with  enough oxygen, water, heat, air pressure, and food for the several years until  another expedition might be able to rescue him. Initially he has no communications.  This is one of the problems he has to solve.  He faces mishap after mishap, one major challenge after another, and with each, he regroups, looks at his options and immediately commences problem-solving.  The book is a testament to the ingenuity of an engineer with a positive attitude

After we become acquainted with Mark Whatney and his situation, we are taken back to NASA  headquarters where we learn what is happening on planet earth after NASA realizes that Whatney is still alive.  An important part of the book is the contrast in perspectives between NASA headquarters and Whatney, and eventually the crew of Ares 3 which had left Whatney behind. The book takes us inside those three worlds – Whatney’s on Mars, NASA headquarters, and the Ares 3 space station.

The book is an amazing tutorial on the physics and practical issues associated with living in space – and Weir tells it well. I  am NOT an engineer nor a scientist, and yet I found his descriptions and practical problem solving compelling.  Weir also gave us a glimpse at crisis decision making that would make for a good leadership discussion: How the expedition leader decided to leave Whatney, NASA’s dealing with their options and priorities when discussing a rescue attempt, and the internal dynamics and decision making within the Ares 3 crew who were still in space, when they learned of Whatney’s survival.   The leadership model portrayed in this book is traditional – that of the heroic leader as expert and chess master – and to whom all look for wisdom and decision making.

What the book didn’t have was much “emotional content.”   I was over 200 pages into the book before I learned whether Whatney was gay or straight, and I never learned of any romantic interest. His connection to his parents was only briefly touched upon – and after months alone on Mars, no glimpses of an inner life.  It was as if his whole life was simply detached problem solving, with glimpses of frustration and his snarky sense of humor (which I liked.)

A couple of things Weir did that I liked – a real 21st century switching of gender roles. The Ares expedition commander was a woman and an impressive leader; the most profane and un-pc character in the book was the female Public Affairs Officer for NASA; Whatney himself was profane and un-pc, making goofy, almost immature off-hand comments that one might imagine coming from one of the techno-nerds in The Big Bang Theory.  He keeps his sense of humor throughout, even when his world is turning to kaka – but then he rapidly re-assumes his positive attitude and gets to work addressing, and solving the problem at hand, and finding a way to move forward.

Another interesting piece that Weir threw in:  The United States needed China to help them ultimately find a way to rescue Whatney, and China volunteered their help. While Whatney was stranded, the whole world was watching and rooting for him and rooting for America and her scientist-astronauts to rescue him.  The role that space exploration can play in helping us earthlings to see ourselves as one-world, was one of Weir’s not-so-subtle subthemes. But it was subtle enough -not overdone.

The day I finished the book, I went to see the movie.  It represents the book well, though the producers couldn’t help but overly-jazz up the ending, Hollywood style, and different (and less effective) than the book.   But, by and large it was faithful to the story, was well done and I recommend it.  I enjoyed both the book and the movie.